October18- 20, 2024

As mentioned in the last post, we had one last stop on the agenda for the day, and that was at the Oakleigh House, the centerpiece of the Oakleigh Historic Complex, a grouping of buildings that contain a working-class raised cottage, Union Barracks, and a modern archives building.  The name for the estate comes from a combination of the word oak and the Anglo-Saxon word lea, which means meadow.  Oakleigh was built on 33 acres of woodland in 1833 by James W. Roper, a brick mason from James City County, Virginia who was also a dry goods merchant and cotton factor.  He chose this site for his house because of its valuable clay pit.

Alfred Irwin, treasurer of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, purchased the house in 1852 and it remained in the family until sold by Daisy Irwin Clisby, granddaughter of Alfred, in 1916.  Built as a raised, galleried villa in the Greek Revival style, Oakleigh is one of the largest T-shaped homes in the state of Alabama.  The unique shape of the home allows for cross-ventilation in Mobile’s humid subtropical climate.  The lower floor was originally a raised basement, likely built of handmade brick from the site, once functioned as a workspace and storage and the second floor contains the main living quarters.

We entered the house and after paying for the tour, were greeted by our guide, a young lady, perhaps a student at nearby University of South Alabama, who was dressed in period attire, a full dress with lots of ruffles.  She would give us a pretty well-rounded voyage through the house, not always able to answer all of our questions as this obviously wasn’t her full-time job.  But it was well worth it none the less.  At the close of the tour as we drifted through the gift shop, an older gentleman, perhaps performing some security presence engaged me in conversation and when he found out the next stop on our journey would be Lafayette, Louisiana, recommended that we visit Poupart Bakery, which he assured me was the best in town.  And we would do so, twice, as I will recount in a future post.

Finished and a bit parched, we made our way to Braided River Brewing, not far in distance but a challenge to get to as a charity 5K was finishing up and the streets near it were blocked.  As we parked a food truck was setting up outside but knowing we had dinner plans later we just opted for a couple of beers, both quite good.  While doing so we were privy to the conversation at a table nearby describing styles of beer and what they had consumed recently.  It was like any I would have had with a friend in such a situation, proving that we all belong to the same beer loving club.

We finished our beers and drove to Felix’s Fish Camp Restaurant to meet Emile, which we have done each time we’ve visited Mobile.  As I’ve reported in prior posts, he headed up my custodial team at ASUCLA and we remained in touch after we both left.  He own’s a restaurant that specializes in chicken wings and it has been successful for him.  To start, I ordered a glass of chardonnay and Joanna a specialty cocktail to accompany our appetizer of Corn and Jalapeno Fritters, which were delightful. 

Another glass of wine for me would complement my large serving of Felix’s Herb Crusted Whitefish (A broiled fillet topped with Italian herb crust made with seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, garlic, Dijon mustard, butter and Italian cheeses) and Joanna’s equally good order of Shrimp and Grits (Shrimp sauteed with chives and served in a creamy rosemary sauce with grits).  We finished the meal with a slice of New York Cheesecake split three ways, a splendid way to close out our night with this longtime friend. 

With an open day the next morning, we took advantage of the time and the weather to drive not quite an hour south to Gulf State Park near Gulf Shores.  The park’s 6,150 acres mostly encompass the land behind the Gulf Shores beach community, between Highway 59 and SH 161, with the west end extending further south to a wide beach area.  We rode through an eastern section of the park back in 2017 when we visited the area for James and Leigh’s wedding.  On the way down we stopped in Memphis for the sights and to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers during their last tour.  It was a trip to remember. 

We found a spot to park and soon took off on the bikes for what would be almost 18 miles, the best ride of the trip so far.  One pedals on a paved trail through a combination of open ground next to bodies of water, over wooden bridges that span said water, and through strands of native trees and grasses.  Along the way we encountered an unmarked turtle crossing as well as a gator sighting or two, so we were careful not to stray too far off the path. 

We finished up and after loading the bikes began to make our way north, eventually landing in the quaint town of Fairhope for lunch and dinner at McSharry’s Irish Pub, which was doing a brisk business when we arrived.  It was a Sunday and so they had a couple of NFL games on and although I’m not a big football fan, after almost two months of not being able to watch any games, I will admit to being distracted by them. 

We both ordered a beer, for me a Smithwick’s and the Shepherd’s Pie (Sauteed certified angus ground beef, peas, carrots, & onions topped with homemade mashed potatoes) and for Joanna, Ronan’s Reuben Sandwich (Tender slow-cooked corned beef with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, & Reuben sauce on toasted rye).  Both were nice sized portions and good quality, exactly what one would want in their bar of choice.  I enjoyed another beer before we closed out our tab at $67 including tip and tax.

With a relatively short four-hour drive to Lafayette, Louisiana, our next destination, we decided to fill up on breakfast at Rise Breakfast and Tacos, a highly recommended spot not far from the house.  It’s located in an old house and uniquely decorated, with dinosaur models in the front yard/parking lot and interior walls completely filled with stickers and decals.  Along with a coffee apiece, we ordered the Triceratops Breakfast Burrito (black beans, eggs, potatoes, sauteed peppers and onions, pico de gallo, avocado, and spinach).  It was one of the best examples of this standard breakfast item I’ve ever eaten.  We’ll be back through this area again and will be sure to stop here when we do.  In the meantime, off we go, headed to the west and home. 

Links

Oakleigh House: https://www.historicoakleigh.com/

Braided River Brewing: https://www.braidedriverbrewing.com/

Felix’s Fish Camp Restaurant: https://www.felixsfishcamp.com/

Gulf State Park: https://www.alapark.com/parks/gulf-state-park

McSharry’s Irish Pub: https://www.facebook.com/mcsharrys

Rise: https://risebreakfastandtacos.com/